Dear heavenly Father,
We know that you have loved _________ since before the world began and that her name is engraved on the palms of your hands. Thank you for entrusting her to us.
Please hold on to her hands, now little fist balls, as they grow. Please help her to use them to do your work in a lost world; to love, to care, to build, to give, to receive.
Please hold on to her voice and ears, now full of baby babble, as she grows to be your voice in a broken world. Help her be a good listener. Help her long to hear you and talk to you. Fill her with a thirst to know you better.
Please hold on to her feet, so that when she learns to walk she will follow in your footsteps. Please help her not to run from you, and if she does to always know the way to return.
Please hold on to her head, now full of baby thoughts, so that as she grows, she can think your thoughts and see the world clearly. Help her to give her creativity, her analysis, and her understanding to you.
Please hold on to her eyes so that she can see the truth, even when it is hidden. As she grows, help her to see her world with your eyes. Help her be wise and follow fruitful paths.
Please collect her tears Lord, so that when she is sad, she knows that she can turn to you, the source of all love and goodness. Please give her friends who will love her and hold her in those times.
Please hold on to her heart, now so full of smiles, so that she is able to love what is good and reject what is evil, both in herself and in the world. Please help her to be able to say sorry. Please help her to know you and to lose herself in your love.
Please hold ______ tightly in your arms forever.
Amen
This prayer was written by Jane Dove for her new granddaughter Emilia Grace. It provides a beautiful model for new Mums in how to pray for their baby or small child.
How do we persevere in the role of grandparent in the midst of the inevitable stresses and difficulties that come our way? How can we stay mentally and spiritually strong for the long haul to fulfil our desire to make a positive contribution to the lives of our grandchildren?
We are all human and our strength and capabilities have an upper limit. How can we devote ourselves fully in serving the Lord and caring for others without wearing ourselves out?
Jesus has dealt with our sin. He died and was made alive again. We can lift our gaze to behold our Lord in all his risen beauty and ascended glory.
The writer of the book of Lamentations writes movingly of his experience of his world falling apart. But at the centre of the book, he speaks of what keeps him going: the faithfulness of God. Because of the Lord, there is hope, even in this most desperate of circumstances.
